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December 2023

December 2023 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Tui Snider Read more
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  • TravelerDecember 2023
    Day 1

    Komodo Dragons

    December 1, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    As you step ashore onto Komodo Island, you’re greeted by the scent of sea air and cloves. Local guides chain smoke clove cigarettes as they wait their turn in a shaded wooden hut.

    Buildings are elevated here to keep out t Komodo dragons. Little ones are venomous and can climb steps, but big ones are not as agile.

    The guides use forked sticks to protect visitors from dragon attack. Most of the time the sticks are not needed, but we saw them in action when a little guy came trotting towards our group.

    You don’t want to mess around with Komodo dragons, not only are they the world’s biggest lizards but their bite contains venom (for which there is no antidote), anticoagulants, and a host of bacteria to makes sure your wounds get nice and infected. A single bite can land you in the hospital for months, and that’s if you’re lucky.

    As cold blooded creatures, komodos spend most of their day regulating their body temperature by seeking sun, shade or even a swim at the beach. Like crocodiles and other cold blooded kin, they only eat once or twice a month.

    Our guide, Jack (who jokingly asked us to call him “Jackie Chan”) grew up on Komodo Island in a village with 2,000 people.

    “I am very happy,” he told me. “It is a good life here, with everything I need.”

    Before our hike, Jackie warned us that we might not see any Komodo dragons. “They are wild animals. They come and go.”

    Indeed, some visitors today only saw one or two of the beasts, and even then from a distance.

    Maybe it was because were the last group of the day? But for whatever reason, we encountered lots of lizards of all sizes on our trek.

    The biggest ones were basking at a watering hole. As newcomers approached, the Komodos would growl at them. If you watch my videos you can hear what they sound like.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    1
    Day 2

    Weaving Village

    December 2, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 86 °F

    On Lombok Island, our cabbie took us to Songket Village, where women weave beautiful cloth.

    I thought we would just watch the process. I didn’t expect to be given the chance to work the loom myself. It was so much fun!

    After that, they dressed me in traditional garb and took photos of me in my beautiful new home in the tropics. Haha!

    And, yes, I bought a piece of clothing, a colorful blazer that’s light enough for me to wear in Texas (at least when it’s chilly.) I will treasure it.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    Day 2

    Water Palace

    December 2, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 84 °F

    We also visited the Water Palace on Lombok Island. In 722, the island’s king used the nearby river to create several pools on the grounds of the home he lived in during the dry season.

    Locals still come here to swim, either in the paid pool, or in the free ones. I’m not sure what the difference is.

    Many statues, and even some trees were festooned with checkered cloth called “saput paleng.” The black and white pattern symbolizes balanced forces of the universe.

    I also saw “canang sari” which are offerings created to thank various deities. To create canang sari, worshipers use banana leaves and other natural fibers to create little baskets, then they add flowers and maybe some fruit and other items as offerings.

    Since preparing them takes time, the act of creating canang sari is considered a prayerful expression of gratitude. I like the idea of combining prayer with a task that lets your mind both wander and focus.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    Day 4

    Lombok Island

    December 4, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    It’s not easy to shoot decent photos when you’re hurtling down a narrow road in a taxi with dirty windows and a cracked windshield, but I did my best today on Lombok Island.

    Compared to other parts of Indonesia, Lombok is slower paced. Mosques and temples abound.

    Our cabbie explained that they grow rice, tobacco, and corn here. There were plenty of roadside stands selling fresh produce, but the roadside pet store surprised me: a vendor selling little bunnies and goldfish in hanging plastic bags.

    We even saw a few cemeteries, but they were so overgrown that the photos I took from the car are not worth sharing. Vegetation is very lush here!    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    222222
    Day 8

    Bukit Brown Cemetery

    December 8, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 91 °F

    Originally owned by Chinese clans, Singapore’s Bukit Brown became a public cemetery in 1922. Even so, the 212 acre expanse has been largely untouched since the 1970s.

    The jungle foliage provides a much needed wildlife corridor for a wide variety of species. During our visit, we encountered wild boar, and numerous butterflies and birds.

    A troop of rowdy monkeys came and chowed down on some food that cemetery party-goers left behind. I stayed out of the monkeys’ way, but it was quite a scene!

    Bukit Brown had a lot of warning signs, too. I stayed especially alert for cobras and wild dogs, but I didn't expect to see a warning about ghosts! (Look closely at the sign and you'll see what I mean.)

    And talk about grave goods! I often see a bit of food and drink left at burial sites, but many tombs in Bukit Brown bore evidence of major partying.

    At one point, I heard music and chanting in Chinese. Turns out that some of the graves have solar powered music. (Click on the video to hear it.) That’s a first for me.

    It would be fun to come here at night and see the ancestor worship in action.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    221211
    Day 8

    Gardens by the Bay

    December 8, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    After exploring Bukit Brown cemetery, we nabbed a cab via the Asian equivalent of Uber, which is called Grab.

    We were hot and sweaty from the intense humidity, so the cab’s a/c was much appreciated.

    No sooner did we reach Gardens by the Bay than the skies open up and a tremendous electric storm kicked into full gear. We sought shelter at a patio outside of McDonald’s before buying tickets to the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.

    We were both drenched, so it was a little chilly at first. The Flower Dome was decked out for Christmas, and the Cloud Forest has an Avatar theme going on right now.

    We enjoyed them both, and all the walking kept us from getting cold. Our timing was perfect, too. We enjoyed a sodden sunset and then watched a light show in the SuperTree grove before catching a cab back to the ship.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    2
    Day 12

    Welcome to Langkawi

    December 12, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    While “Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah,” sounds like the title of a video game, in reality it is a Malaysian archipelago. As we stepped of the ship today, we were met by locals in traditional costumes playing music. I didn’t take any video, alas, but just imagine typical snake charmer music for the guy with the chanter.

    It’s very laid back on this island. And check out that infinity pool. I could definitely envision a week of R&R on Langkawi.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    Day 12

    Cave, Bats, Fish & Eagles

    December 12, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We had a great time at Kilim Geoforest Park on Langkawi. We took a boat ride to a cave where we saw bats and the cutest crabs in the mangrove forest.

    On our way to the cave, a woman pulled out a packet of tissues and was instantly mobbed by a pair of monkeys. You have to be so careful around those cheeky little beasts!

    Next, we visited a fish farm where I fed a sting ray. My favorite part of the tour, however, was watching the sea birds fishing. I have some video clips of them diving into the water.

    We spent about 15 minutes marveling at them, but I could have easily watched them for much longer.    Read more

  • TravelerDecember 2023
    2
    Day 13

    Orang Utan Island

    December 13, 2023 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Another gorgeous sunrise for us this morning as we made our way to Orang Utan Island. I even saw dolphins leaping in the sun’s reflection in the water!

    What’s great about this wildlife reserve is that the humans are in cages and the animals roam free. Visitors stroll along a caged pathway.

    Despite the cage, we still had to be careful. At one point, while angling my phone through the fence to get a photo of an orangutan, a Rhesus monkey hopped down from the trees and nearly swiped by sunglasses.

    The employees here shared the backstory for each of the rescued orangutans. Some of them can be released into the wild, but others cannot.

    The Queen, for instance, was once a house pet. Not only did she live in an apartment with her owner, but she wore a house dress and was addicted to cigarettes!

    She gets quite jealous of other females, even human females. When women would approach to take her photo, she’d spit at us.

    It was heartwarming to see that the employees clearly love all the animals here.

    Oh, before I forget: the cicadas there sounded high pitched metal machinery. I actually asked them what machines I was hearing were.    Read more

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